


When in Rome

by Katertot_4



Category: Hardy Boys - Franklin W. Dixon, Mystery - Fandom, Nancy Drew (Video Games), Nancy Drew - Fandom, Nancy Drew/Hardy Boys Super Mysteries - Franklin W. Dixon & Carolyn Keene, clue crew - Fandom
Genre: Adventure, F/F, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Love, Mystery, deals on some heavy stuff so I’m sorry, gory, kinda cheating but not really?, life or death
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-14
Updated: 2020-01-14
Packaged: 2021-02-27 05:22:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,507
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22251784
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Katertot_4/pseuds/Katertot_4
Summary: Nancy gets called on a case in Rome, Her fathers friend was murdered and it's up to Nancy to crack the case.But she can't do it alone.The Hardy boys are on their way.Mischief, mayhem and murderAnd when in Rome, love(Also posted on Wattpad, under Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys-When In Rome)
Relationships: George Fayne/Deirdre Shannon, Joe Hardy/Bess Marvin, Nancy Drew & Frank Hardy, Nancy Drew/Frank Hardy, Nancy Drew/Ned Nickerson
Comments: 1
Kudos: 6





	1. Off, Off and Away!

The plane was uncomfortable, sandwiched between Frank and Joe Hardy, wasn't the most ideal situation.

Joe was a plane sleeper and snorer.  
And Frank was afraid of heights and had a huge phobia of planes.

So over the string of profanity's and snores, Nancy was bound to crack.

"This is why they give complimentary earbuds." Nancy muttered under her breath, digging around in the pocket in front of her seat.  
She couldn't find them, and started pulling out stuff.  
The case file, a book, the food menu, a phone, a notebook and pencil. But no earbuds.

Nancy sighed leaning against her chair, trying to stretch as much as she could.  
Wearing a skirt to the airport was not the greatest idea, all Nancy wanted were her leggings and a good pair of sneakers.

Instead she wanted to make a good impression.  
She sighed once again, looking over to Frank. He was tense. Eyes searching around erratically, poised for a chance to run, jaw tightened.

"Frank." Nancy said softly, trying to snap him out of his daze. But to no avail he stayed persistent, ready to strike.

"Frank." 

Nothing.  
"Franklin."  
He blinked a few times, coming back to reality.  
His jaw loosened as he gazed over to Nancy.

"Yeah?" The brunette boy said, somehow he was calmer when paying his attention to Nancy.  
"You alright?" She questioned placing her hand on his forearm. "You've been watching the plane like a jungle cat."

Frank chuckled giving Nancy a tight smile.  
"Planes freak me out. Any heights in general f-"

"Freak you out, I know. That's all you've talked about the past 3 hours. But you seem extra tense. Like even more freaked from the last time we flew."  
Frank smiled at the memory.  
Nancy and Joe on both sides of him, snoring like a bear. While he had their hands trapped in his. Poor joe was bruised for a week. While Nancy stayed indestructible.

"Yeah, I think it's cause I was holding your-"  
He stopped himself. Ears tinged red.

"My hand?" Nancy finished, a teasing smile on her features, her red hair bouncing as her head tilted back and forth.

"Yeah, I guess." Frank flushed even deeper, embarrassment creeping down his neck.  
"If you want...I can oblige to doing it again. Only if you want." It was now Nancy's turn to flush. Her cheeks and nose turning a sloshed pink.

"Only if you're okay with it." Frank said, seeming to approve Nancy's statement.  
"C'Mere Franklin." Nancy held out her hand, while frank groaned in response of the use of his name.  
...,  
They were engaged in the case file, looking over potential suspects. Hands still intertwined, though frank had calmed down an hour or two ago.

"So you're saying she was poisoned?"

Nancy nodded, adding in.  
"Potentially. She was found splayed across the first floor of the- of the-" Nancy squinted down at a word. Heavily Italian 

"San Lorenzo Fuori Le Mura." Frank finished giving a dazzling smile down to Nancy.

"Yeah that, well it's one of the many cathedrals in Rome. They say she fell from the second floor, and that is what seemed to kill her. Except later they found traces of deadly nightshade. Which is highly common in Rome. But they call it Atropa Belladonna."

"I don't know if this is a murder Nance...Nightshade could also mean suicide."  
Frank questioned, Nancy deadpanned and shushed him.  
"I'm not done. She was a tourist to Rome and according to my dad was in some pretty messy stuff. Gangs, drug cartels and whatnot. How could it possibly be a suicide Frank."

Frank rolled his eyes, his thumb dragging against Nancy's hand.  
"Again Nance. Nightshade is extremely dangerous and I'm guessing very hard to force feed, and in a famous cathedral like that, there would have been witnesses to someone shoving a pill down a girl's throat.

Nancy's eyes glistened and an excited smile spread across her features.  
"And what if it's not? What if it all dives much, much deeper than that? What if this case is about the Italian mafia or some sort of nazi organization?! Can you just imagine!"  
Frank smiled, Nancy always loved cases. Like no sane person would. It was her morphine. The reason she breathed.

Just then Joe woke up, snorting himself awake.

He yawned, stretching himself as much as he could against the confines of the plane.  
"Hi Nance, hey frank." He mumbled still in a sleepy state.

"Hi." Nancy said, both hyper-aware of their still intertwined fingers.

"Yeah hi." Joe turned over to his best friend and older brother, gazing down to the case file.

"So, what's the plan nan?" Joe yawned again, grabbing the case file, unveiling Nancy's and Frank's hands.

He blinked once, then twice. Then smirked.

"Ohhhh I get it, wait for Joe to fall asleep then the hormones begin." 

Nancy deadpanned. While Frank turned a deep scarlet.  
"No, Joe it's not like that." Nancy shrugged it off moving her hand away from Frank's.  
"We're just friends, he was getting tense, Y'know like last time."

Joe made a face.  
"Last time my hand was bruised for a week, Frank's not delicate with me like he is with you Nance."  
Frank sent joe a warning look, Joes smirk then changed into a full grin. He had the upper hand over his older brother now.  
"Say, Nance. What is the case details?"

Nancy immediately lit up. And started rambling on, giving key details but adding a few of her ideas into the mix.  
"And they found traces of nightshade in her system. Speaking of nightshade ... did you know that you body reacts to it like a drug, well adding on the foaming our the mouth part. But things like bloodshot eyes and loss of brain function that kills off the cells. But of course you'd be dead before it happened..."  
Nancy continued on, telling Joe and filling Frank in on her newfound theory's.

They had just landed and were waiting for others to lift down their luggage from the upper hand carrier. The three were chatting, Joe talking about all the food places they could go to in the next week and all the sightseeing, while Nancy rambled on about the case, Frank just listened this time, letting himself relax now that they weren't thousands of feet in in the air.

Nancy was in the middle of telling about another theory connecting the nightshade to a cult from the 70s when a letter was slipped into Frank's lap.

The envelope was dark black with even darker writing, on the front there was a black wax stamp of a lily with words around the edges in what looked to be Italian.  
"guerra per soldi."

The letter was addressed to 'The Infamous Nancy Drew'.


	2. The letter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nancy and gang finally open the letter but what is inside shocks them.

Frank handed the envelope to Nancy, her spindly hands inspecting it.

"guerra per soldi."

She flipped the envelope around a few times before giving the letter to Joe to read.

He knew Italian better than both of them. Nancy knew the least.

"What does this mean?" Nancy asked indicating to the black wax seal.

"guerra per soldi?" Joe asked. "It means War and money, or is it War for Money. Either way Nancy, it doesn't sound good."  
The blonde brother inspected the envelope once again.  
"Whoever packaged this letter really knows a scare factor. It like something a Bond villain would do. Something classic."

Nancy and Frank nodded.  
Nancy took back the letter and shoved it in her bag, nothing to worry about right now, they need to leave the plane.  
......  
They walked up to the police station. Here they could get more information on the girl and the quicker they get this done, the quicker Nancy can read the letter.

"Detective Russo!" Frank called out, detective Russo was the man who called Carson to get the infamous Nancy Drew on the case.

"Nancy Drew! And ze Hardy Boys!" The man who they ruled out as Detective Russo cane running up to them.  
He was a tall man with tan dark skin and heavily expressive eyes.

"I actually think it's the Hardy boys and Nancy Drew." Joe mumbled under his breath, cause Nancy to give him a playful glare while Frank rolled his eyes.

"Welcome to Rome, amici! Sono Detective Russo." The man smiled, shaking their hands with gusto.  
All three of the teens tiredly shook his hands. The eight hour flight was getting to them, and Nancy who flew two hours to get to New York to meet the Hardy boys so they could get on another plane, was starting to feel the need for a warm bed about now.

"I'll fill you in on the details then you can go and sightsee, yes?"

The three nodded and Joe gave an audible "Yes!"  
The three followed him deeper into the station.  
....  
Nancy yawned, throwing herself onto the plush comforter in the hotel, followed by Joe on the opposite side.

"My feet feel like i've been walking on hot coals...All day." Joe moaned worming around to kick off his shoes.

Last to enter the hotel room was Frank holding an abundance of tour guide maps, Glancing across them all like a crazed man.

"Okay,okay. Heres my idea. We went to the other cathedrals today. But tomorrow we start the case and investigate the big one, sound good?"

Joe groaned. "No more work. It's nap time."

"Fine Joe, You don't have to come with Nancy and I."

Joe groaned again. "Would I want to? You guys treat Rome like you treat Paris. I can see the hormones bouncing off of you. I personally don't want to be in a Frank and Nancy sandwich."

Nancy just yawned, sinking deeper into the mattress. She felt the sudden need to inspect something, but they didn't find any clues out on the streets. The only thing that had seemed strange was the time when they were working with the police. Which is what Nancy normally doesn't do. She prefers to move to the beat of her own drum. But she couldn't help but feel that exciting itching on the back of her neck whenever she knew a clue was just in their midst.

"Hey Nance, did you ever read that creepy letter?" Joe mumbled into his pillow, Muffling his words and squishing his already boyish face.

Then it hit Nancy. The Letter!

She crawled off the bed with a quick certainty. Suddenly regaining her strength.

Frank watched quietly at the excitement Nancy shone.

She ripped the letter from the old brown leather backpack she brought on every case.

"War for Money." She grazed her hand across the wax seal one more before opening it as much as she could without ripping the envelope.

The insides of the letter consisted of a letter, Typed up from what looks like an old fashion typewriter. And a small packet. White so that the contents could not be revealed without opening it. 

The Letter read.

To the Infamous Nancy Drew.

Welcome to Rome. Im sure you will like your stay. I'm afraid to inform you that to others you and your Hardy Boys will not be as welcome. Leave while you can. This will be your worst case yet. I have eyes everywhere Miss Drew. Even on your Dear Frank and the idiotic Joe. They should check their belongings for a gift. From Me to you. The package contained with the letter is your gift. Watch out Nancy. It's to die for.

I warn you drew, this will be a case you will be begging to forget ,  
signed E.

Nancy examined the package that graced her fingers was was small, about the size of her thumb.  
"Nancy, what did the letter say?" Frank interjected. Taking a quick step forward as Nancy gazed down to the small package not seeming to take her eyes off of it.

"Check your bags...."

Joe finally lifted his head off the pillow. His blue eyes now trained on Nancy.  
"What?"

"Check your bags. You'll find a package like this." Nancy held it up out of her hands.

Both boys looked at her in confusion but moved to their bags.

Joe searched for a bit but sound it. It was significantly bigger than Nancy's. Slightly bigger than his hand.  
"This is kind of heavy..." Joe mentioned, weighing the white package in his hands.

Frank found his a few minutes later. A small package, about the size of a Halloween candy greeted him. He flashed it quickly to Nancy and raised his eyebrows skeptically.

"What going on Nance?"

Nancy sighed moving towards the boys and huddling them up.  
She read them the letter.  
.....  
"Okay." Frank breathed out, brushing his hands quickly against his thighs.  
"Let's open our so called 'presents'."

They all prepped, holding their packages to be pulled open.

"Count of three?" Joe asked, the other two nodded.

"Ready."

"One.... two.... three..."

Hastily Nancy pulled hers open.  
A little vial greeted her. A vial of a blue liquid.  
Water. And a euro. 

'Could this be a clue?' Nancy thought, holding the euro in her hand. 

"Uhh... Nancy?"  
She glanced up to the voice. Frank was holding out something. More like two things.  
Two pitch black pills were stationed on his hand.  
They all knew what it was immediately.  
Deadly nightshade.

"Joe?"  
Nancy questioned, turning her head to the blonde who now seemed very very quiet.

His face was downcast, looking into his package with fear in his eyes.

"Frank?" Joe asked in a shaky voice...  
"I think I got something worse than nightshade."

His hand reached in as Nancy heard a metallic shifting sound. She couldn't quite place the loud metallic shift she heard as joe picked up the contents of the package.

"What is it?" Frank questioned. Craning his neck for a better look.

"Joe?" Nancy asked placing an arm on his shoulder but redacting it quickly when she saw what was in his hand.

Joe pulled a gun from the bag. His eyes searched around the room in terror. Grasping for what to do.

Joe opened his mouth to speak, eyes now glued to the weapon in his hands.

"What the F-"


	3. Rome Is A Tomb

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Clue crew go to examine the Scene of the crime. But are not so warmly welcomed.

"-ck." Joe cursed holding the gun out from his fingers letting it mold its shape into the comforter.

Nancy and Frank made frightened eye contact.  
"That's.... unsettling." Frank said under his breath. The room was so quiet that the others had heard.  
"Yeah, no shit Frank!"

Franks eyes widened, holding his hands up in response.  
"Joe." Nancy said, reaching her hands out to cup over his.  
"It's going to be okay, we just need to all calm down and sleep."

Joe nodded quickly but didn't make a move to get off the bed.  
Nancy grabbed the gun and examined it.  
It was heavy. And the safety was on.  
Thank god the safety was on.  
———-  
Joe didn't sleep that night, and he was sure Nancy and frank didn't either, judging by the bags beneath all their eyes.

They all got ready, preparing for the day. It didn't take long for Nancy to notice that half the clothes in her bag weren't the ones she had packed. They were the ones Bess wanted her to pack. Shorter shorts and bikinis were what caught Nancy's eye.

She rolled them once she found an itinerary for her clothing. Mixed with little drawings Bess did for each planned outfit.

The first day was labeled 'Cute Nancy', and showed a little doodle of a red haired girl, supposedly Bess's inaccurate version of nancy, In a short button up romper. Which very much elevated Nancy's 1950s look that she always had.

Nancy had to agree, it was a very cute romper, and part of Nancy's style.

She'd have to text Bess a 'Thanks for hijacking my bag.' text later.

Around 9 they made their way around rome.  
Toward their destination, The San Lorenzo Fuori Le Mura.

Joe happily waltzed up to a gelato shop half-way there, taking the lead from Frank and Nancy.

They followed suit, getting the creamy cold treat.

Joe soon enough found some girl to flirt with, while Nancy and Frank hurried on.  
Joe would catch up later.

They made it to the cathedral, admiring the high archways and heavily detailed portraits and a stained glass interiors.  
It truly was breathtaking.  
But they couldn't focus on that now.

It was quiet, too quiet. Not a soul in sight. But the duo continued on up to the second floor to the yellow tape.  
The police tape that held off the scene of the crime.

Examining it closer, Nancy noticed there were so scuffs across the marbled floor. And no sign of a struggle.

"Frank. Come here." She signaled over, crouching down to examine a small chip in the stone handrail down to the first floor.

"Did you find something nan-"  
Something hit the floor, something heavy.  
Nancy swiveled around, fearing that frank had dropped an expensive vase or column.

Something much worse greeted her.  
Frank was on the ground unconscious. Standing beside him was a dark clothed woman, or what seemed like a women. In a full faced white mask, tailored suit and dark gloves.

"Nancy Drew." The women's voice called out. Something mysterious and entrancing laced in her syllables.  
Nancy slowly stood up, the breath in her lungs seeming to have left her.   
"Who are you?"

Though the mask covered, Nancy could sense the grin that came from the attacker.  
"That's none of your concern miss Drew." The woman slowly stepped forward. Her black boots echoing across the barren hallways.

Nancy swallowed down the nerves building from her stomach. With a shaking voice she said, "Then what is my concern. After knocking out my-" she looked to Frank. It felt wrong to call him just a friend.  
"My, my friend, I think I deserve an expla-" the woman lurched forward, entrapping Nancy's throat in her hand and pushing the detective towards the railing, which if Nancy fell, it would be a downward drop to the first floor. Hard.

"Listen up Drew. Leave Rome. You're too in over your head."  
Nancy struggled, arms flailing against her attacker, gasping anything. She pulled on the the suit, accidentally ripping the right sleeve in the process, leaving a gaping hole revealing tan skin.  
She could barely make out the outline of a tattooed moon before she was pushed farther towards the railing.  
the woman slammed nancy back sharply against the stone, making her gasp, sending spasms through her muscles, making it hard to move without wincing.

The woman scowled, examining the ripped sleeve.  
"Puttana!" She cursed, the grip in Nancy's throat growing tighter.  
"Get out of Rome! Head back to whatever small town in America you come from. This is your warning Drew. Next time, my boss won't hesitate. Get out! You are no longer welcome."

Unhinging her hands from Nancy's throat she moved back. Nancy gasped for air.  
With a knee to the stomach, Nancy doubled over.

heaving breaths, she tried to calm down, eyes searching hysterically. The gasps then changed to unhinged coughs and heaves.

When Nancy lifted her eyes from the marbled ground. The woman had disappeared. 

She crawled over to Frank, grabbing his head and putting it in her lap. Examining her partner, she found no other injury besides a brief blow to the head.

She shook him, lightly slapping his cheeks.  
"Frank! Frank wake up!" Her voice came out raspy and exhausted.

He gasped, coming to and grasping Nancy's shaking arm.  
"Nance! Are you okay? What happened?!"

Nancy shook, brushing dark brown hair from Franks eyes.

"I'll explain later---Right now, we're not safe here. Lets go and grab Joe."

It took a while for both to stand, but eventually they went back to the gelato parlor to a very confused Joe Hardy.

\-------

They'd stopped by the police station, told of the incident. Detective Russo had given the group a light lipped smile and a worried glance. 

The other officers seemed to be listening in on what had happened. Even though Nancy saw stacks of paperwork that needed done.

A little later, Nancy told the brothers what had happened. Joe was furious and seemed to shake whilst he scolded himself. 

Frank on the other hand, didn't say much. He kept examining Nancy. Eyes would train on her neck and face, complete fear across his features.

"How are you feeling?" He questioned, grasping Nancy's hand. His brown eyes searching in nancy's sea blue.

Nancy would say she was fine. But she knew Frank didn't believe her. He saw how she'd wince whenever she would have a change in her posture or anytime Nancy turned her head.

Both brothers caught on and babied the detective the rest of the afternoon.

Frank hadn't let go of Nancy's hand.

Nancy of course didn't say she needed the comfort. But if he did let go to grab something or to give Joe a quick shove, Nancy found she would shake and the days events would replay in her head.

So she didn't let go either.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is super unedited, but i want to continue on with the story! I hope you're all ready for the chapters to come!! XOXO


End file.
